Nepali Tea Exports Face Obstacles in India Amidst Quality Testing Delays

Kathmandu. Nepali tea, which has been exported to India, has again faced obstacles. Nepali tea sector has fallen into trouble again after tea that completed customs procedures and reached India was stopped in the warehouses of Indian importers and not allowed to be sold and distributed.

According to Shiva Kumar Gupta, Senior Vice President of the Nepal Tea Producers Association and a tea exporter, tea sent after completing necessary procedures including customs clearance from both Nepal and India is being stopped in the warehouses of Indian importers. The Tea Board of India has instructed the importers there not to sell tea until the sample testing report arrives, due to which the tea has been stocked in the warehouse.

Tea is exported from Nepal after laboratory testing in accordance with World Trade Organization (WTO) standards and quality. Previously, the sample testing report approved by the Indian laboratory used to be valid for exporting tea for up to three months or a certain quantity. However, the Indian Tea Board has now imposed a rule that importers must wait for the sample testing report for every shipment and cannot sell tea until the report arrives.

Although there is no complete legal ban on Nepali tea, Vice President Gupta alleges that the Indian Tea Board is indirectly trying to discourage the import of Nepali tea. Nepali exporters believe that the board there has adopted such a strict policy to protect its domestic production due to the pressure from Indian tea producers.

• Businesses Face Double Blow

Indian importers pay Nepali businessmen only after receiving the tea, storing it in their warehouses, and selling it. However, since the tea is stopped in Indian warehouses in areas like Siliguri and Kolkata and cannot be sold, Nepali exporters are not receiving timely payments. Indian importers themselves are hesitant to buy tea from Nepal due to the fear of tea being stopped.

On the other hand, Nepal's tea sector is currently facing a crisis domestically as well. This year, due to the excessive outbreak of a pest called 'looper' in the tea gardens, there has been a significant decline in the production of green tea leaves. Many tea industries are on the verge of closure, and stocks are very low. In such a critical situation, when tea produced with difficulty in the country cannot find a market and exported tea is also stuck in Indian warehouses, Nepali businessmen are facing a double blow.

• Significant Decline in Exports

There has been a significant decline in the quantity of Nepali tea exported to India through the eastern border of Kakarbhitta. Ishwar Kumar Humagain, a customs officer at the Mechi Customs Office, informed that very few vehicles carrying tea are going to India compared to the past.

According to him, Nepali tea exports were completely halted for about ten days about three weeks ago. 'Currently, vehicles carrying tea are going sporadically. But, the export volume is not as large as it used to be,' said Officer Humagain.

However, he clarified that the customs office does not have detailed information about the issue of tea being held in warehouses and Indian traders hesitating to buy, as it is an internal transaction between businessmen.

• No Official Letter Received: Tea Board

Although there is talk of Nepali tea exported to India being held in warehouses there, the National Tea and Coffee Development Board has clarified that it has not received any formal information or written documents on this matter so far.

According to Dr. Deepak Khanal, spokesperson for the Board, although official documents have been requested from the Indian side regarding this matter, they have not been received. He stated that the board has not made its opinion public in the media because anything without documents is not official.

However, the board has stated that it has received information that about 50,000 kg (7 lots) of tea have been held in India for laboratory testing through informal channels. Although Nepal sends tea after testing according to WTO standards, it is unclear on what standards India is conducting the tests.

It is understood that India has not yet fully recognized Nepal's laboratories, and although Nepali tea is included in India's import list, all the necessary procedures related to it are yet to be completed. The dispute created by the directive issued by India on February 10, 2026, was resolved with the understanding between the tea boards of both countries and the issuance of supplementary documents.

• Impact of Tea Politics

According to a businessman exporting tea from Nepal, the Indian side has created artificial complications for Nepali tea to protect the reputation of Darjeeling tea and reduce its price. He states that the main reason for the obstacles faced by Nepali tea is not quality but India's 'tea politics'.

In recent times, the production and quality of Darjeeling tea in India have declined. In contrast, the geographical structure of Nepal's eastern hilly region is similar to Darjeeling, and the tea bushes here are relatively new, resulting in naturally high-quality Nepali tea. It is analyzed that Indian officials and businessmen fear that this high-quality Nepali tea will challenge the Darjeeling tea brand in the international market.

That businessman says, 'This is not just an attempt to stop tea, but also a strategy by Indian traders to reduce the market price of Nepali tea. Their ploy seems to be that by stopping tea and showing quality complications, Nepali businessmen will be forced to sell tea at a low price.'

However, that businessman also pointed out the need for Nepali tea producers to improve their weaknesses and be more sensitive to quality. He believes that such problems will be reduced if attention is paid to quality production rather than just focusing on selling goods.